Chris Orr is right: McCain is a coward. Rather than man-up to this crap last night, he wimped-out and left the sleaze to his campaign and VP candidate. He is the worst kind of bully, who when finally confronted with his mendacity, turns tail and run. Obama's campaign should call him out on this. The wimp needs to be taunted with his cowardice.

Good, I say bring it on. Waste their ad money. It's all for naught and

"Oh what a tangled web we weave.."

The only way this makes even the slightest amount of sense as an attack is that IF Obama is "friends" with a former terrorist THEN Obama must also harbour the same feelings as the former terrorist.

I just can't see too many people actually thinking "ya know what? that Obama probably IS a terrorist"*

*of course the Thirty Percenters already do...I'm talking about those in the middle...ya know, like those people last night who were lining up to get a picture taken with the Obamas.

It might have been David Gergen who said last night that McCain can't win the election if it appears to be a choice between the candidate of change vs the candidate of change the subject.

Nora O'Donnell--good for her for bring up Xenophobia today.

This claim got a lot of play back in April/May; no surprise that a desperate campaign would resurrect it now. Most importantly, it is clear from Murtagh's account that he has nothing but supposition to support his claim that the bombs at his father's house had anything to do with the Weather Underground.

Rush Limbaugh.

Listen to his voice go shrill every time he mentions Ayers and Obama in the same sentence.

McCain doesn't need his campaign to do the dirty work.

I listen to Rush just to get an idea what rubbish folks are feeding off of. It's pretty offensive.

"A known terrorist." "bombed the Pentagon", "radical" "He had the guy in his living room for Christsakes, that's anything but a CASUAL aquaintance." "Come on folks, Obama's simply not telling us the truth." blah blah blah

So, yeah the McCain camp maybe confused about how to play the Ayers poison, but Rush ain't.

Obama needs to unleash his attack dogs on these nihilists. How about Biden giving one of his barn stormer speeches where he can cover all of McAce's sordid past, the Witch Doctor's AIP live-in at a called news press event. Then take questions from the amassed press. Have Biden couch the speech with reasons why he is doing it. Things like "pot calling the kettle black, tit-for-tat, etc. Then call for an FBI investigation on McAce's campaign people for planting the guys who have been shouting out at the Witch's rallies. Given the Rovarian nature of the GOP attacks there will probably be lots of evidence as to whether it's true or not, the press would eat it up.

Agreed on the cowarice. I've been saying for a while McCain is a coward, always has been. If he really thinks the Ayers stuff should stop, then he's afraid to stand up to his campaign strategists. He was afraid to take on W. after the 2000 election. He's afraid to look Obama in the eye. He's a coward hiding behind Palin's skirt. Plain and Simple.

WagTheBlog

I'm not sure why McCain imagines it helps him to keep telling folks that his campaign is based upon events that happened several decades ago, but if he wants people to think he's still living in the past, I won't complain.

Old Old Old, my friends.

Actually, I WOULD like to know why Obama hasn't criticized Ayers and Dohrn (who, as Murtaugh says, remain totally unrepentant for their past violence). But then, I'd also like to know why McCain is heaping praise on G. Gordon Liddy.

McCain's "my fellow prisoners" comment today is the end of this race. It may take a day or two to make the rounds on YouTube, but he's toast.

Burnt toast. Inedible.

Poof.

To Bruce at 4:06--Obama has stated at some point (I'm pretty sure Steve's done a blog on this) that Obama has said that Ayers' past is disgraceful.

"Senator Obama strongly condemns the violent actions of the Weathermen group, as he does all acts of violence. But he was an eight-year-old child when Ayers and the Weathermen were active, and any attempt to connect Obama with events of almost forty years ago is ridiculous."

from an Obama press release

McCain hopes to smear Obama, but he'll do his best to keep the attacks free of his fingerprints.

My question for Mr. Murtaugh -- and I mean this sincerely -- would be: "Among those who worked with Mr. Ayers, socialized with him, served with on charity boards or who gave him awards for his community service, who else have you spoken out against publicly, and when?"

If the answer were to be that he has consistently spoken out against these people, including some of the more GOP-friendly figures whose paths have intersected Ayers', then I would take this at face value, tell him I'm glad he survived and leave it at that.

But if he does not have a history of speaking out against Ayers, or has not raised his voice against Obama in the past, then I think he has a credibility problem. He would need to explain exactly why he is choosing Sen. Obama to speak out against and why he has chosen this moment to speak out. There may well be an explanation for that. But for now I find Mr. Murtaugh's complaint substantively irrelevant.

If Ayers is such a dangerous terrorist, why hasn't he been arrested under The Patriot Act?

I also want to know why McCain hasn't been called out for supporting terrorists, when he expressed his support in the debate last night for the mujaheddin in Afghanistan, whom he referred to as "freedom fighters"? Those "freedom fighters" included a Saudi by the name of Osama bin Laden, if McCain knew a damn thing about history...

daily kos has a post up titled “[Needs Attention!:] Republican Clears Obama On Ayers!�

apparently NPR did a fairly thorough story on this yesterday which included this:

“It was never a concern by any of us in the Chicago school reform movement that he had led a fugitive life years earlier,� said former Illinois state Republican Rep. Diana Nelson, who worked with both Obama and Ayers over the years. “It’s ridiculous. There is no reason at all to smear Barack Obama with this association. It’s nonsensical, and it just makes me crazy. It’s so silly.�

i encourage you all to go read the whole post and send the info on to friends and family.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/10/7/131120/885/357/622049

It's like the half-baked "suspension" of the McCain campaign during the bailout negotiations.

Actually, Ayers is repenting of the VIOLENCE he engaged in. After the 2001 NY Times article, he posted on his web site, complaining that that the article conflated his opposition to the Vietnam war with the tactics he used back then.

(Now watch some wingnut refer back to the Times, saying that he's unrepenant).

To The Conservative Deflator on October 8, 2008 at 4:19 PM : I think the reason why Ayers hasn't been arrested under the Patriot Act is because the Patriot Act came into effect shortly after 9/11. I'm pretty sure you can't arrest someone for something they did before the law making it "illegal" was written.

I could be wrong, but this is one of the few things I remember from High School American Politics class.

As Obama stated today this Ayers stuff is just a devirsion from the issues. McCain can see the presidency slipping away and hes in the 2 minute offense with no chance so why not keep throwing hail marys possible win by default.

Obama also said that he thought Ayers' past actions were "despicable" in one of the primary debates, so he's said several times now that he disapproves of what Ayers was doing in the 1960s.

On the other hand, it's not like Obama tracked Ayers down and specifically befriended someone who was a social outcast. Ayers has been prominent in Chicago and Illinois politics for almost 20 years now, especially in education issues, and that's how their paths crossed. Do you quiz every person you work with to find out what they were doing when you were 8 years old?

If the McCain campaign wants to play the terrorist association game, let the surrogates and bloggers play it. There's McCain's involvement with Iran-Contra Nazi-supporter death squads and his financier father-in-law (2nd one) having ties to organized crime. Palin's church probably has connections to the militia types who try to bomb government buildings. That "Joel's Army" crowd is filled with nuts who want to overthrow the government.

katie,
it's called an "ex post facto" law, and iirc, it is specifically forbidden by the u.s. constitution.

of course, we all know how much that's worth these days.

the reason ayers wasn't convicted of anything the first time around was because the fbi broke all kinds of laws trying to nail the weathermen and all charges were dropped.

just to reenforce what was written upthread "Most importantly, it is clear from Murtagh's account that he has nothing but supposition to support his claim that the bombs at his father's house had anything to do with the Weather Underground."

exactly right...his father was a judge presiding over a trial involving the black panthers.... it's certainly possible that they held some animus towards him that could have escalated into a firebombing....

Actually, Murtaugh's attack (which consists mostly of just pointing out that Obama worked with the guy for a long time without objecting publicly to his repulsive past) is much more powerful than Marshall makes it out to be. In fact, it's as powerful as the similar case that can be made regarding McCain and G. Gordon Liddy.

First, via Wikipedia:
"In 1980, Liddy published an autobiography, titled 'Will', which sold more than a million copies and was made into a television movie. In it he states that he once made plans with Hunt to kill journalist Jack Anderson, based on a literal interpretation of a Nixon White House statement 'we need to get rid of this Anderson guy'…

"Some of his [radio talk-show comments shortly after the Branch Davidian raid] led to condemnation by then President Bill Clinton…

"August 26, 1994 - 'Now if the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms comes to disarm you and they are bearing arms, resist them with arms. Go for a head shot; they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests … They've got a big target on there, ATF. Don't shoot at that, because they've got a vest on underneath that. Head shots, head shots…. Kill the sons of bitches.'

"September 15, 1994 - 'If the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms insists upon a firefight, give them a firefight. Just remember, they're wearing flak jackets and you're better off shooting for the head.' "

Now, via Steve Chapman in the Chicago Tribune last May ( http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-oped0504chapmanmay04,0,6238795.column ):

"When 'Obama's and Ayres'] connection became known, McCain minced no words: 'I think not only a repudiation but an apology for ever having anything to do with an unrepentant terrorist is due the American people.' What McCain didn't mention is that he has his own Bill Ayers -- in the form of G. Gordon Liddy.

"Now a conservative radio talk-show host, Liddy spent more than 4 years in prison for his role in the 1972 Watergate burglary. That was just one element of what Liddy did, and proposed to do, in a secret White House effort to subvert the Constitution. Far from repudiating him, McCain has embraced him.

"In 1998, Liddy's home was the site of a McCain fundraiser. Over the years, he has made at least four contributions totaling $5,000 to the senator's campaigns — including $1,000 this year.

"Last November, McCain went on his radio show. Liddy greeted him as 'an old friend,' and McCain sounded like one. 'I'm proud of you, I'm proud of your family,' he gushed. 'It's always a pleasure for me to come on your program, Gordon, and congratulations on your continued success and adherence to the principles and philosophies that keep our nation great.'

"…[Regarding Liddy's Branch Davidian advice], he mentioned labeling targets 'Bill' and 'Hillary' when he [himself] practiced shooting…

"I made repeated inquiries [on the subject of Liddy] to [McCain's] campaign aides, which they refused to acknowledge, much less answer. On this topic, the pilot of the Straight Talk Express would rather stay parked in the garage."

So, in the Slimy Friends Department, we seem to have pretty much of a draw. (True, Obama also has Pastor Wright; but then McCain spent the last two years or so of Jerry Falwell's life warmly cuddling up to him, despite Falwell's joint statement with Pat Robertson two days after 9-11 that it was God's just punishment on the US for supporting gay rights.)

Typo on my part, of course: "... is much more powerful than BENEN makes it out to be." But -- to repeat -- not one bit more powerful than Chapman's case against McCain and Liddy (who, for whatver it's worth, has also given far more money to McCain's campaign than Ayers has given to Obama's).

McCain Supporter Had Own Ties to Radical Protesters
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122350949805717257.html?mod=article-outset-box
The McCain campaign, in a continuing effort to link Barack Obama to domestic terrorism, released a statement Wednesday from a New York supporter, recounting how his family home was firebombed by the radical 1960s group founded by Obama supporter William Ayers.

But the McCain supporter, John M. Murtagh, has his own ties to radical protesters: He served as a lawyer for a Catholic priest who led protests at an abortion clinic that turned violent.

I get a kick out of all you left wing nut cases! You know it's a vulnerable place for Obama - "A guy who lives in my neighborhood.' - yea, right! At least Mccainn was man enough to admit he had a lapse in judgement over Keating 5 (even though he was not charged with anything)...Obama just hopes it goes away - that goodness for Fox!